Despite conflicts, students chose to stay in Israel

Sirens didn’t shake the Michigan State University senior. Neither did a punch in the face from a police officer during a riot.

The 21-year-old had been living in Jerusalem for more than seven months as part of a study-abroad program through Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Conflicts between Israel and Palestine escalated following the murders of three Israeli students earlier this year.

An Israeli prays during the funeral of Sergeant Max Steinberg on July 23, 2014 in Jerusalem, Israel. Steinberg, a Taglit-Birthright alumnus who emigrated to Israel and joined the military, was killed in combat in Gaza. (Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

Michigan State told Kamana to evacuate on July 16, but she refused, wanting to stay until July 30, when her internship with The Jerusalem Post ended.

“I’ve never felt my life was in danger and I didn’t want to leave,” Kamana said. “There’s a reason I was there and I was going to stay.”

Despite the turmoil, American students in Israel say that while they felt nervous at times, the conflict had become a normal part of life.

“I was worried at first,” said Rebecca Scott, a senior at the University of Vermont. “Our first day missiles started firing. I was very scared … But after a few days I got used to it in a weird way.”

Scott and 38 other students were in Israel for three weeks as part of the Taglit-Birthright program. Birthright is a not-for-profit educational program that sponsors free 10-day heritage trips for Jewish young adults.

Despite safety concerns, Birthright has no plans to stop trips. Current trips will not include sections of the country “where the conflict has intensified,” said Birthright spokeswoman Gail Hyman.

Rebecca Teichman, a senior at West Chester University, called the Birthright experience “surreal.”

“In America we never see a war at our doorstep” the 22-year-old said. “We don’t live in fear or know where the closest bomb shelter is. We don’t hear alarms. It’s easy to forget the turmoil in the world.”